Ayaneo 2S Handheld: A Competitor for the Asus ROG Ally

Ayaneo's latest handheld device, the Ayaneo 2S, is poised to rival the Asus ROG Ally in the gaming market. Alongside this release, Ayaneo has also announced an update to its more affordable handheld, the GEEK 1S.

It seems that every week brings a new handheld device to discuss, and Ayaneo is back in the spotlight with their latest offering. Powered by AMD's newest Ryzen 7000 laptop chips, the Ayaneo 2S stands strong. However, it is not alone in its release, as it is accompanied by a lower-tier model called the GEEK 1S.

Building upon the success of the previous AOKZOE model, Ayaneo has equipped the upgraded Ayaneo 2S with an AMD 7840U processor, featuring Radeon 780M graphics. This APU is quite similar to the Z1 Extreme found in the Asus ROG Ally.

Although we have not had the opportunity to test a system with this chip yet, if the performance of the Z1 Extreme is any indication, the Ayaneo 2S is expected to deliver outstanding power and handle demanding tasks with ease. Our tests revealed that the Z1 Extreme excelled in running Forza Horizon 5 at various settings, and it was further enhanced by supersampling.

However, similar to the Z1 Extreme, the 7840U requires specific patches, firmware, and drivers to optimize performance. Just like Valve's AMD Van Gogh APU on the Steam Deck, it takes some time for game developers to optimize their titles for these custom configurations.

With a more generic APU on board, the Ayaneo 2S has the potential to surpass the ROG Ally in terms of performance when it officially launches.

On the other hand, the GEEK 1S is positioned as a "budget-friendly" option. While it shares the same APU as the 2S, it offers a maximum of 32GB of RAM and 512GB SSD storage. Meanwhile, the 2S starts at 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD storage, with options to upgrade to 32GB and 64GB of RAM.

Pricing for the Ayaneo 2S and GEEK 1S:

 

Ayaneo has introduced these two new handhelds on its Indiegogo page, offering multiple versions. Early bird pricing for the Ayaneo 2S starts at $949, equivalent to approximately 12,552 Hong Kong dollars or around $1600 USD. Upon its official launch, the Ayaneo 2S will have a starting price of $1139 USD and go up to $1999 USD. The higher-priced versions also boast unique designs and come with 4TB of storage and 64GB of RAM.